Jim and Katy McElroy
returned to northern Ohio in the late 1970ís after having lived for several
years in

Perth, Western Australia. Soon after, to their delight, the pair of pet Greater
Sulfur Crested cockatoos (C. galerita galerita) that they brought back
with them produced youngsters . . . and Hornbeam Aviary was born.

At Hornbeam Aviary, our
goal has always been to produce a small number of healthy, well-socialized,
parent-raised baby cockatoos from happy, unstressed parent birds. Instead of
removing eggs for artificial incubation, we encourage our parent birds to feed
and care for their chicks for four to six weeks or longer. Baby cockatoos raised
in this manner are both wonderfully affectionate and refreshingly independent.
They understand that they are birds, not people, and they grow up better able to
cope with the complexities and puzzlements of living life as human companions.
Our beautiful, healthy babies are raised in a large flight cage in our kitchen
where they learn to interact with both their human caretakers and other baby
cockatoos. They are permitted to wean at their own pace and only go to their
new homes when we are certain they are ready. All of the baby cockatoos at
Hornbeam Aviary come with lifetime technical support.

Recently we have begun concentrating more on the
less emotionally dependent cockatoo species such as Goffinís, Bare Eyed, Citron
Crested and Lesser Sulfur Crested because it is becoming apparent that Moluccans
and Umbrellas often require more room, time, tolerance and commitment than even
the most well-intentioned owners

can
muster.

Cockatoos can be wonderful
companions. They can also be noisy, messy, destructive, demanding and, at times,
aggressive, and many lose their homes because of the annoyance they cause less
committed family members. It is our hope that this site will better help you
understand both the positive and negative qualities of these remarkable
creatures before you invite one to share your life.

Contact us:

or Call @ 419-588-2279

Copyright Hornbeam Aviary 2001
Site Created by: Dean Moser
If you are interested in a web designed for you - please email: Dean